THE LAST OF THE TAYLORS.

JOSEPH TAYLOR.

THE last of the Taylors died at his residence, Low-moor, near Bradford, Dec. 18th, 1875, aged seventy-seven years, and was interred at Queensbury Baptist chapel on the 22nd of the same month. He was born at Shibden, near Halifax, and his parents' names were Robert and Grace Taylor. Robert, like his brother Dan-the great Dan! "Saint Dan"-was a coal-miner, which calling the present Joseph also followed; but subsequently he learned the occupation of weaving, at which he wrought several years. But for the last twenty-seven years he was in the employ of the Low-moor Iron Works Company, where he was greatly respected. He was hopefully converted to Christ, and baptized, on a profession of faith in Him, in the year 1817, at Queensbury. He was then in his nineteenth year. He thus gave himself to the Lord whilst young, became a fruitful bough by a wall, and bore fruit unto old age. During his Christian course he was a member of the G. B. churches at Queensbury and Halifax, and for a few years he was pastor over the G. B. church at Clayton. His father was an honoured deacon of the G. B. church at Halifax.

Joseph was principally self-taught. Neither Sabbath or day schools were disgraced or honoured by his presence as a scholar. But notwithstanding, he made considerable progress in learning. He had an excellent memory, and once commenced to commit the whole Bible to memory, and nearly succeeded with the New Testament. His learning was principally of a theological cast, being largely a man of one book. He was a Bible Christian, and required a "Thus saith the Lord" for every step he took and position he held; still, he was well read in theology, and a few old books in that science which he possessed he diligently studied.

He was a "complete General Baptist" of the old school. He had no faith in organs, chanting, or open communion. He believed these things led in the direction of Rome. Hence, in 1861, because the church at Halifax adopted open communion, he withdrew from it; and there not being a strict communion church sufficiently near to him, he has been out of the visible church ever since. This was a great grief to him. He loved the church at Halifax, and with his relations laboured hard to free it from debt. He was an acceptable preacher. His discourses were marked by scripturalness, clearness, and earnestness, also some eloquence. He was very warm in denouncing what he believed to be error. love of preaching the gospel was seen in the fact that he travelled hundreds of miles to make it known, with his dinner in his pocket. He was remarkable for his independent spirit; he would be debtor to no one except Christ; to trust, glory in, and serve Him, was the joy of his life.

His

As regards his general character, he was a kind husband, good neighbour, and loyal citizen. He was transparency itself. He was distinguished for great clearness of mind, firmness, and thoroughness; also devoutness and perseverance. He had a church in his

own house, where he read, expounded, prayed, and sung the praises of the Most High.

His religion was an every day one. Like Abel, he offered excellent sacrifices; like Noah, he was a preacher of righteousness; like Enoch, he walked with God; like Caleb, he followed the Lord fully; like Paul, he was immoveable; and like Daniel, he prospered all his days. He was of that material out of which martyrs are made. And yet in his own estimation, he was less than the least of all saints. Like poor Jack, he would ever practically sing

"I am a poor sinner, and nothing at all;
But Jesus Christ is my all and in all."

His end was peace. The writer saw him a few days before his death, and found him calmly resting upon the rock of ages. He was only laid aside about a week. He was cheerful, joyous, and happy. He was particularly satisfied with the plan of salvation. He had much pain of body, and was quite helpless; hence he felt it to be a great comfort that he had not a long journey to take to obtain heaven, no penances to do, and no money to pay; only to believe and be saved. This thought filled him with admiration, thankfulness, and rest; and in this frame he passed to that land where "everlasting spring abides, and never withering flowers."

The last of the Taylors is gone. Joseph leaves a beloved widow to mourn his departure, but no children. May she be divinely comforted under her great loss, and finally meet him again in the better land!

What a family was that of the Taylors! It has left its mark upon the religious history of our land. Its various members lived to purpose. May we be "followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." B. WOOD.

THE REFINER.-A PARABLE FOR CHILDREN.

THERE was once a little piece of gold lying hid in the earth. It had lain hid so long, that it thought it should never be used; and it said to itself, "Why do I lie idle here? Why am I not picked up, that men may see me shine ?"

One day a man dug it up and looked at it, and said, "There is some gold in this lump; I must take it to the refiner." When the refiner got it, he threw it into a melting-pot, and heated his fire to melt the gold. As soon as the little piece of gold felt the heat of the fire, it began to tremble, and cried, "I wish I had lain quiet in the earth." But the fire grew hotter and hotter, till at last the gold melted, and left all the earthly part of the lump by itself.

Now,” said the gold, “my troubles are over; now I shall shine.” But its troubles were not over yet. The man took it once more, and began to hammer it into some shape. "Ah!" said the gold, "what trouble it is to be gold. If I had been dross, or common earth, I should not have been put to all this pain." "That is true," replied the man; "if you had been dross, you would not have had all this pain; but then you would not have become what you are now-a beautiful gold ring.”

The piece of gold is a little child. The dross, or common earth, means the child's faults and weaknesses. Jesus is the Refiner. He sends trials and troubles to us to make us good and strong, and to take away our weaknesses and faults. Pain is one of a little child's trials. If we bear it patiently, Jesus will make us better by pain. He will make you brave and gentle. Next time you have to bear pain, say to yourself, "Jesus is taking away my faults; I must be patient."

SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT said, in a speech recently delivered to his constituents in the city of Oxford, "Grumbling is a thoroughly constitutional English luxury, without which no party would be complete." The same liberty of unlicensed grumbling is the lawful inheritance of every member of the Christian Republic, and has been exercised with more or less freedom and advantage from the day on which the foundation stones of the divine empire were laid until now.

Sometimes it has been my fortune to hear preachers discourse eloquently on the unity and happiness of the early church, on its freedom from sects and divisions, its hearty fellowship and undisturbed peace. The pictures were glowing and heavily coloured; but I don't think they were quite true, for there is no lack of "grumbling" and grumblers in the New Testament. Indeed I more than suspect that the first batch of deacons has no better origin than a violent "grumbling" fit; and that if the "Grecian Jews" and their "widows" in the church at Jerusalem had not overhauled the apostolical cash-books, we should have known nothing whatever of those apostolical assistants whom we proudly regard as our official progenitors. No doubt about it, we were born in a storm, and may account for our tendency to get into storms by the fact. Peter was not suffered to do as he pleased. Though he did hold the keys, he had to give an account to the church of the doors he opened with them. They of the circumcision "contended" with him; and it was not till he had made a good case that they "held their peace." Paul and Barnabas, good and large-hearted as they were, couldn't agree about John and Mark; and the "contention" was so "sharp" that "they departed asunder from one another."

Peter, again, "was withstood to the face, because he was to be blamed;" which means, I imagine, that Paul, instead of deferring to him, "grumbled” at him vehemently, and in his hearing, not behind his back. That very knotty questions were raised in the church meetings at Rome, we may gather from the Epistle to the Romans. Corinth had its various parties, and did an enormous amount of "grumbling." In Colosse they were divided; and the churches of Galatia are reminded that if they "bite and devour" one another, they may be consumed one of another; in short, the Acts and Epistles show that these so-called "model" churches were always grumbling. Almost all the letters of the New Testament were written not indeed to repress, but to guide the free and frank criticism of the members of young and inexperienced churches. So has it been with the church all along the centuries. So is it now. Therefore, the pastor or deacon who enters office without preparing to deal with grumblers and grumbling," is forgetting one of the chief lessons of history, and neglecting one of the principal agents of church progress.

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Nothing is more out of keeping with our congregational and democratic polity, than an undue sensitiveness to criticism, a namby-pamby fear of free speech, of healthy and vigorous grumbling. Our method of government encourages "grumblers," and grows men thereby. Episcopacy belittles the laity, and makes an archbishop, raised to a region of undisturbed serenity, dulness, and stagnation. The rule of the " many" develops self-helping, energetic, active-brained men and women, animated with a feeling of personal responsibility, and keenly alive to the credit and success of the church. We hide nothing. We do nothing in a corner. Everything is open to everybody. We invite inspection; we ask for unhampered judgment; and therefore we ought to fear nothing. The diaconal spirit should be one of courage, eager for criticism, open-eared for "grumbling;" prefering its hoarsest tones and most croaking notes to the grim silence of indifference, and the deathly chill of listless disregard; even welcoming volcanic explosiveness, rather than nursing the sulking and pouting of spoiled children who cannot have their own way, and sicken themselves with sugar-plums.

I know "grumbling" has done much mischief. Peace is disturbed. Minds are hurt. Work is hindered. Reputations are soiled. It is a sharp-edged tool, and may work much wrong; but I think it is only really dangerous when incapacity has to deal with it. Well handled, it does good, and only good.

HOW TO MANAGE CHURCH BUSINESS.

143 Repressed in sudden impatience, heard with ill-disguised indignation and an air of supercilious scorn, treated as intrusive and conceited, its powers to injure are increased ten thousandfold. Mostly it is only another name for free but not pleasant criticism, and is an indication of deep and real interest in the work of God and the salvation of men, and ought in ninety-nine cases out of the hundred to be dealt with as such.

Contented people are very "nice;" but usually they are neither strong nor helpful. They do not push on the chariot of progress. It is the discontented people who put their shoulder to the wheel, holloa to the horses, and try to quicken the pace. Energetic men are always a little troublesome, sure to grumble and disturb quiet, acquiescent souls, whose only ambition is to be at peace; but then their stirring and go-ahead spirit is the only one that brings progress. Progress comes of discontent. The more we "grumble," the more we grow. It is therefore our duty as deacons to avoid even the appearance of repressing the free utterance of opinion, to welcome every sign of interest in the works of the church, and to deal in a manly, frank, and considerate way with every one who loves us and our Master's work enough to take the trouble to criticise us.

Lord Palmerston spoke of dirt as a good thing out of its place; so the "grumbler" is often a good man out of work. I have heard that wise mothers, on the principle of self-defence, never leave their children unoccupied, except when they are asleep, because they know if they do, they will find strips of paper torn from the walls, horse-hair pulled out of the chairs, feathers out of cushions, scissor-snips in the table-cloth, broken-backed books, and other equally dreadful calamities, which Dr. Watts puts down to the credit of Satan, but with which, if I may venture an opinion on so profound a subject, that individual has nothing whatever to do, since they spring solely from the excessively active temperament of child life. Wise deacons will imitate these wise mothers, and direct the energies of incessant and inconvenient critics into healthy and beneficent channels. The capable "grumbler" will be placed at the head of a division, and instead of being a free lance, will have an opportunity of being "grumbled" at, and thereby taught to curb the fierceness of his useful steed. There is a surprising degree of quieting power in responsibility. I have known rampant critics as meek as sucking doves after two months of office. This domestic remedy is all very well so long as the "grumbler" has real ability, and is willing to use it advantageously; but what are you to do in the hundredth case, where grumbling is only the desolating outburst of ignorant stupidity and illimitable vanity? There are men who try to grumble their littleness into greatness, and by shallow criticism of others to magnify themselves. Envy will not suffer them to hear Aristides called the Just. Some years ago a man insulted Mr. Gladstone, merely that by linking his name with that of our greatest statesman he might have momentary fame. Such a vain talker or foolish fame-hunter may get through our church doors and do no little harm. For him there is but one end-he must be suppressed right early! That is certain: but it must be done with as little injury to him and the church as possible.

The rules of business (to be considered presently) must be so framed as to reduce the opportunities of grumbling to the slenderest amount consistent with perfect freedom and good order; and the spirit of those who lead, and who therefore have to deal with criticism, must be frank, cheerful, and courteous. We must give every one credit for good motives, and allow for a spice of vanity and self-love in the most Christian nature. It never does to assume that men are "perfect" in church meetings, whatever you may do elsewhere. We must not treat men as if they had no natural preference for place, no love of power, no care for their fame. All legitimate motives of human action, and all diversities of temperament and disposition, must be allowed for. We must maintain the courtesies in a high state of prosperity. A deacon is bound to display the utmost amount of kindly consideration for others, and of readiness to sacrifice for their good. No "grumbling" should be met with a discourteous reprisal, a sharp rebuke, or an angry speech, even if it deserve it. It is bad policy. People's eyes must be opened without contradicting them, and blows parried without giving offence. A great writer say, "Life is not so short but there is always time enough for courtesy. Self-command is the main elegance. Treasure the wisdom of St. Just, 'KEEP COOL, AND YOU COMMAND EVERYBODY.'"